Green tech grant for Imperial Valley campus

The Imperial Valley campus of San Diego State University has received a $1.6 million federal green technology grant.

The campus is one of 20 nationwide to get a share of the $37 million awarded through the Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge.

The funds will be used to establish the Renewable Energy Generation Training and Demonstration Center, which officials believe will spark a green energy technology industry in the Imperial Valley, where unemployment near hovers near 30 percent.

“It is critically important that SDSU play a lead role in the development of renewable energy for the region,” David Pearson, dean of SDSU’s Imperial Valley campus, said in a prepared statement. “This grant is a valuable building block that will support the long-term development of a green technology industry and have a positive impact on the entire Imperial Valley region.”

The grant is funded by three federal agencies: the Economic Development Administration, the Employment Training Agency and the Small Business Administration.

The university’s Renewable Energy Generation Training and Demonstration Center will create demonstration sites for companies to test their renewable energy ideas and have a power plant simulator that will provide training for jobs in geothermal, solar and traditional power plants.

Democratic Rep. Bob Filner, who represents the Imperial Valley and part of San Diego, assisted the university’s bid in the competitive federal grant process, officials said.

“This grant will go a long way to creating the good-paying jobs we need, training the workforce and helping us move into a new green energy economy,” Filner said in a prepared statement.

SDSU was the only California campus to win funding from the grant challenge, which was launched in May.